Martellato

As Printed on a Score

Printed above or below the staff at the passage it governs, often with ff and with accents or tenuto marks on the notes. It holds until another articulation or a change of dynamic.

How Composers Use It

Hammered: on the piano, heavy, detached blows, often in octaves or chords; on strings, the martelé stroke — a pressed, sharply released bow attack with a clear stop between notes. It needs volume and some time between notes to work, so avoid it in fast, light passages, and do not confuse it with spiccato, which bounces.

Example

Mahler, Symphony No. 5, fifth movement (Rondo-Finale), first violins, m. 318: “martellato” at ff.

Related Terms